A/N: Sorry for the delay. I'm not sure what happened, but I've finally been able to finish this one up (it's supposed to have an Epilogue to it, but for now we're calling it done. If I find the words to write it then I will. I've got two other ideas in my head-we'll see if they come to fruition. Thanks for all the reviews and reads. Until next time-ya'll are the best-PCGirl.

Natalie walked down the hall to John's office after seeing Bo. It had been a week since the fire, and after running some tests they had found she had a slight concussion so John had been keeping Liam while she was staying at Llanfair to recuperate. The doctor had cleared her back to work so her plan was to sleep in her bed tonight with her son down the hall.

"Hey-you got a minute?" she asked as she stood in the doorway while John looked over paperwork.

"Yeah-how are you feeling?" he asked, leaning back in his chair he took her in. She looked fine, and was sure she was about to tell him she was going to come back to work. And yet he still had the memories of her being unconscious on the floor of Rodi's while flames licked the closed door.

"Good-uhm, the doctor cleared me to go back to work so I'm going to pick up Liam tonight and keep him at the house with me."

John got up and walked over to the doorway, leaving space between the two of them, "Listen, I talked to Mike and he said that one of the things with concussions is you should try and reduce stress. If you need me to keep Liam-."

She cut him off. "No, I don't. And I need you and your brother to stop discussing my health issues. The doctor has cleared me for work which includes my job as a mother."

"I know-I just-."

"I'm going to pick up Liam from daycare and take him home tonight, John. Unless you can get Tea to write something up quickly and file it by the end of the day you can't stop me."

John stood there, they both knew they didn't want to involve lawyers regarding Liam's custody. This was just her way of reminding him that she had the money to fight him and he knew it. "You know I'm not going to do that. But I would like to see my son tonight-like I have every night since I came back. So how about you pick him up and I will bring dinner to the house?"

Natalie wanted to argue back with him that what she really wanted was some time alone without another person hovering over her, but she wouldn't keep Liam and John apart. It's just a few hours, then he'll leave, she told herself. "Fine," she said before turning and leaving.

"Thanks for calling me and letting me know," said John as he looked over to see Natalie coming back downstairs from putting Liam down for the night. He gave her a nod and watched as she went into the kitchen as he wrapped up the call before joining her. Walking in he took a look at her cleaning it up from dinner, "Let me help."

She glanced at him, ready to tell him she could do it herself, but then let it go and tossed the rag at him and nodded towards the table. "Who was on the phone?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"That was Craig from the Bureau. They caught Raul and he's being held on the RICO charges currently. Craig thought that is all they were willing to charge him on. I will get Nora working on the charges for kidnapping and arson, but he's not going to hurt our family for a long time. I promise you that," he said as he put the rag down and walked over to her, not giving her much personal space. "What is it?" he asked, reading her face and knowing she was holding something back.

"It's funny you call the three of us a family when you forgot all about us. I never knew how much it would hurt to have you wake up with no memory of our life together."

"I'm sorry," he said, pushing her hair back, letting his hand linger at her jaw line. "When Cristian was pulling you in during the rescue I thought about how everything would be different if I'd never come to town. If Las Vegas had never happened then you and Cris would have had a chance. But then I realized it wasn't just you two that would be different. It would be me as well.

"These last few weeks of not having my memories has made me realize who I don't want to be. And that's the 'here and gone' guy. The one that didn't have relationships with others, including his own brother. Not to mention all the ghosts I was still holding onto."

"So what is it you are wanting?"

"I want to figure out some way to start over. Not all the way to the beginning, but to that day I walked into my room and found you sitting on my couch with Liam playing on the floor. Where we cleared the air, and found each other on the other side. A lot of stuff has changed since then, but what hasn't-and I'm pretty sure what never will-is that I love you, Natalie."

Natalie felt her eyes fill with tears, some for joy at hearing him say the words again, and some for the hurt she still felt from what happened in Port Charles, "We can't overlook what happened with you and Sam. Seeing that picture-of you holding another woman and kissing her-it broke me, John."

"I know. I didn't want you to find out that way."

"Did you want me to find out at all?"

John thought before he answered. There were two paths he could go down right now-but knowing he wanted them to work he had to tell the truth. "Honestly-no. Because I never wanted to hurt you. It was a mistake and it meant nothing. I know my actions didn't show it, but I'm telling you that this is exactly where I want to be."

"I want that too-I just don't know how we get through it all this time."

"We go slow," he shrugged.

"You make it sound so easy."

"I don't think it's going to be easy, but this is what I know. We bought this house to fill with dreams and memories. I think it's time we start filling it with those," he said as he leaned down and kissed her, pausing to see her response. Pulling back he saw her eyes were closed and he smirked before speaking again, "So?"

Opening her eyes she looked up at him, as much as she enjoyed the kiss-as much as she wanted them, there was still one lingering doubt she had "I don't want to hurt Liam. And if we fail again-."

"We won't. Because as long as we don't hurt each other, we won't hurt him," he said and then leaned down to kiss her again. He'd been given another chance to have the family he'd dreamed of, he wasn't going to let it fail this time. While they were rebuilding Rodi's they would rebuild their family-one brick at a time. However long it took until they came out of the ashes together as one.